Just a Friend
by fashiongirl97
Summary: Set after Jenny left. Whilst waiting for Stephanie at Moscow bus station, Gibbs meets another familiar red-head. Set to the lyrics of 'Louise' by The Human League.


_Disclaimer – I don't own NCIS_

_Authors note – I was in the car and the song 'Louise' by the Human League came on, and all of a sudden, I listened to the lyrics and this came to me. It is set a few months after Jenny left in Paris. Slightly AU, and I apologise if the timeline is slightly off, it just had to be this way to work._

_Anyway, I hope you enjoy._

**-'Just a Friend'-**

_**Moscow**_

Leroy Jethro Gibbs stood at the bus station in Moscow. It was spring now,, but still it was not a warm place. The sun was bright, but the cold harsh concrete building did nothing to emphasize the beauty of the place. Busses came in and out, people got off, and people got on. Some were greeted by family, others walked away alone. He was stood in a thick black coat, open at the front. Jethro was waiting for Stephanie. They'd been married for just four months, and they'd lived in Moscow for the entirety of it. She'd gone back to visit her sister who had given birth but was due to return today.

So there he stood, it was a Saturday morning and he was out of work. He looked up at the arrival of a bus, watched as the passengers got off and went about their days. Then he saw a familiar head of red hair. But she was not Stephanie, but Jenny. It was Jenny, Jenny who had stolen his heart, and never given it back. Who had left him in Paris, and all of a sudden appeared in Moscow out of all the places she could have been. She walked off the bus, and all of a sudden he was seeing not the woman before him but instead her back as a probie, walking into Marrows office with a smug smirk and heals way too high.

She looked slightly older, had lines around her eyes, but those bright green iris' were still the same as the ones he had spent many hours gazing into. She was smiling to some old man who was talking to her before he walked away. Jenny walked towards the coffee stand that stood near him. He smiled as she ordered what he had and left. Taking a gulp of his coffee he hurried over to where she was walking away, before she left for good.

He ran over, feeling like a little child filled with nerves. She had broken his heart, but then again she still had it. He was scared; worried that she would just ignore him. She heard running steps and turned to see him. Jenny could not quite believe her eyes. There before her stood Jethro, the so called 'collateral damage' of her career. He looked her up and down, she was dressed casually. Wearing beige skinny leg cargo pants, a loose white chiffon blouse tucked in, she had on a dark brown leather Jacket, which was zipped up and had a belt at the bottom. For once she did not have heels, but soft leather military boots, only half laced up. Over her shoulder was a long strap brown suede bag with a dark brown strap. Her hair was longer than it had been when she left, and was now loosely plaited down her back, stray strands framing her face.

"Hey Jen." He said, running a hand through his more salt than pepper hair. Stupidly he wondered if she would recognise him, then he saw the flash in her eyes and knew she did. Jethro wondered if she'd just walk away or stay awhile, like they used to do. It took a moment before she said anything. As though Jenny was trying to decide what was the correct thing to do.

"Hello Jethro." She said almost timidly, testing the water. They did what they had always done back when they were partners, they spoke with their eyes. Both confused, he saw the apology coming and gently placed a callused finger onto her lips to silence her. Any bitterness he had once bore over what had happened disappeared. It was life, and he knew it had been wrong of him to assume se would stay with him forever. She was ambitious, young, and then he was old and scarred. She placed her brown carcass bag on the floor, and nodded ever so slightly to let him know she understood that she didn't need to say a word.

She removed his finger and he hugged her softly, not quite like how they used to hug. This was stiff, and formal. It was as though neither of them knew where they stood anymore. Maybe they didn't, neither were quite sure how to behave. She knew from the scuttlebutt that went around he had re-married only months after she left. He on the other hand didn't know anything about where she had gone, what she was doing. Whenever he looked it always said classified.

"You look good," He said, noticing the light makeup, slight tan and signature red lipstick.

"Yeah, you . . . you look well." She replied. It was more awkward for her. She knew all about him, checked his file, found out things she hadn't known. And whilst it was good to see him, it hurt like hell. She knew that he was here for someone else – not her. She knew that she no longer had any reason to be angry at him when she was the one who had hurt him. It's not true that time can heal all wounds, some wounds she doesn't want to heal. Because if the pain that reminded her of leaving Jethro went, then was scared of what she might become. Scared, that one day she would stop feeling the repercussions of her actions. She was scared that if the wounds healed then the memories of times so good that still caused a smile to grace her face would go. She wondered if those truly happy moments would just go away, never to be found. "You have a new team?" She questioned.

"No, just me and Stan, Marrow is nagging me to get a new probie."

"They'll be lucky . . . I was." She stated. It was hard, structured small talk.

"What are you doing now?"

"Liaison with Mossad." She said, watching as he raised his eyebrow. They stayed there, simply looking in one another's. "I . . . I need to go." She said when his gaze became too much for her to deal with. She looked down. "I need to get to the airport; I'm flying back to Cairo."

"Dangerous." He stated,

"I can take care of myself Jethro." She sated with a small smile on her lips. He knew that meeting her was not chance, it was a sign that she still remembered him. She leant over and softly kissed his cheek. "Be safe Gibbs." And with that Jenny picked up her bag and began to walk away, half way towards her bus she turned around and smiled to him. It was a bright smile that made him do the same. But then she was gone, and he was staring at a crowd of stranger.

"Jethro?" He heard the voice of another red head call. He turned to see Stephanie, stood there dressed smartly. She had obviously seen the whole exchange.

"Hey Steph." HE said before kissing her cheek.

"Who was that?" She asked, as he snaked an arm around her waist and they began to walk off.

"No one." He said. "Just a friend." And as they walked away, he looked to see her bus pull away, with Jenny sat inside of it. _If only she knew _he thought to himself _if only she knew_.

_Please leave me a review, they mean a lot. Jenny's outfit is on my tumblr. _


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